The present invention relates generally to containers for planting plants, and more particularly to planters for displaying plants on partial height wall partitions.
The floor plan of a modern office space often provides for large open areas having partial height wall partitions to partition individual or shared office space. Such an arrangement provides for the maximum use of an office area while maintaining an open, uncongested feeling for employees. However, such an arrangement includes narrow walkways in the common areas of the office space, thereby minimizing the manner in which the common areas can be decorated. Wall hangings as well as plants and sculptural works which rest on the floor cannot be employed without cluttering the narrow walkways between the partial height wall partitions. Plant holders depending from the ceiling are difficult to hang and care for, and further do not provide a continuous integrated design scheme. It is therefore desirable to utilize the partial height wall partitions to provide the basis for an integrated decorative scheme for such office spaces.
To reduce the space occupied by partial height wall partitions and thereby increase the partitioned office space, these partitions are preferably of a relatively narrow width. Typically, such a partition will be only two to three inches in thickness thereby providing relatively narrow upper horizontal surface on which receptacles or other items might be supported. Many partial height walls or partitions are comprised of supportive frames with decorative panels which are snapped or otherwise fastened to the supportive frame to provide decorative surfaces on either side of the partition. Such partial height partitions are in the order of 31/2 inches in thickness wherein the frame thereof is only 13/4 inches in thickness and the decorative panels on either side of the frame are 7/8 inch in thickness. Since the decorative panels on either side of the frame cannot support an appreciable amount of weight, only the narrow upper horizontal surface of the supportive frame can provide support for a planter or other items. It is thus apparent that any item of appreciable weight and/or width will be unstable and dangerous in an office environment unless a bracket system of some type is utilized.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,559,738 and 4,698,936, both to Helfman, disclose partial height partition planters. The planters disclosed in the Helfman patents are rectangular in shape and include brackets to support the planter on the top or against the side of a partition wall. In at least one embodiment of the closely related inventions disclosed in the Helfman patents, the support for the planter is accomplished by providing a support bracket having vertical legs which tightly clamp the parallel vertical surfaces of a partial height partition. Other embodiments utilize: sliding tracks which must be fixed to the upper horizontal surface of the partial height partition and mating track means which must be fixed to the bottom of the planter; longitudinal recess means formed in the bottom of the planter to receive the upper portion of a partial height partition; and L-shaped bracket means having a vertical foot portion which is parallel to and spaced from the side portion of the planter so that the upper portion of the partial height partition can be received between the vertical foot portion and vertical side wall of the planter. A similar bracket arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,045 to Nesbitt, et al. In Nesbitt, et al, a planter box is supported to the top portion of a grave marker by a clamp which saddles the top portion of the grave marker.
While the above discussed patents disclose devices for securing receptacles to the top portion of a partial height partition in an acceptable manner, the support brackets thereof will always be in sight thereby destroying the effect of any decorative covering on the vertical portion of the partial height partition. The Helfman planters also lack the continuous integral appearance which is desirable to incorporate the partial height partition into the decorating scheme. This stems primarily from the lack of means to properly orient the planter in relation to the partition. Thus, the partition remains a partition only rather than also serving as a part of overall design scheme. Further, the use of these devices is limited to the horizontal portions of a partial height partition, and thus the corner portions of a partial height partition will be left empty. This would result in an unbalanced look and feel in the office space. While corner planter boxes are known, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,119, and have been used in porch areas and the like, such corner planter boxes could not be safely supported merely by the narrow width of the partial height partition. Without bracket means of some type, the corner planter boxes would be easily knocked off the partial height partition if the partition is jolted into or otherwise vibrated thus creating a dangerous situation on either side of the partial height partition.
Thus, it is apparent that the prior art lacks devices for securing planter boxes or other receptacles to the upper portion of a partial height partition wherein the partition becomes an integral portion of the overall design scheme or a planter which can be disposed on the corner portion of a partial height partition.